Despite bitter cold temperatures and wet conditions on Old Hickory Lake, Mark Metrick and Dewayne Tidwell came out on top with 5 bass weighing in at 19.84-pounds to take home the Triton Owners Tournament top spot, March 11th. Well known Triton owner, Mike Stubbs and partner Thomas Hunnell came in a close second with 5-bass weighing in at 19.44-pounds. In third was the team of Rodney Tidwell and James Dillon with 4-bass at 13.06-pounds.

"Tough conditions?" asked weighmaster Ray Scott. "I'd be willing to bet my cowboy hat, there'd not be a limit caught," said Scott who was surprised when two five-bass limits over 19-pounds crossed the scales. "Believe me," grinned Scott, "I figured I'd be up on the stage doing a soft-shoe shuffle, rather than weighing strings like that, to keep the crowd entertained."

For Mark Metrick, a hardwood flooring dealer, it was a day to remember. "Two days ago, I'd just got my new custom-made flippin stick from Roy Strube in Nashville, and I told Dwayne I needed to break it in good."

About 10:30am, Metrick flipped a Texas-rigged, five-inch tube jig into the shallows along a riprap rock bank, and the new rod took on the big fish, the 6-pounder. With time running out for the start of the 3pm weigh-in, Metrick made a pitch along riprap in another pocket off the Cumberland River and nailed a bass over 5-pounds. "Then, we put my TR-21 on the pad and made the 25-minute run to the weigh-in," grinned Metrick.

The big bass of the tournament - the 6.92-pound largemouth - boated by the Stubbs-Hunnell team came on a War Eagle tandem spinnerbait with No. 4 willow-leaf blades, fished in about six-feet of water depth.

The special Triton Owners Tournament was sponsored by Hendersonville Marine with Crystal Turner as the tournament director. Many special volunteers and sponsors helped make the tournament a success. Sponsors 5 Star Food Service did an excellent job of catering to the chilled fishers and their families. Larry Bryant and Tracy Townsend were also recognized as tournament coordinators.